Haywood a private citizen: US embassy

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) The US embassy here Tuesday declined to comment on the row surrounding Kenneth Haywood, an American citizen who was being probed in connection with the Ahmedabad serial blasts, leaving India, saying its “privacy laws are very strict”.“He is a private American citizen. Our privacy laws are very strict. We have no comments to make,” US embassy spokesperson Elizabeth Fitzsimmons told IANS.

Haywood’s Internet address was allegedly hacked to send a terror e-mail minutes to media outlets moments before the Ahmedabad blasts late last month.

Haywood, a former pastor in a small church in Arizona, left India Monday via Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport. HItherto residing in Navi Mumbai, he was managing a company specialising in executive soft skills such as international protocol and public speaking.

Maharashtra’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) officers had repeatedly questioned Haywood and submitted him to scientific tests but could find nothing incriminating against him. His laptop and other equipment were also subjected to tests but nothing incriminating was found.

Two days ago, Haywood had expressed his frustration over the “unnecessary prolongation of the investigation”.

In an e-mail interview to CNN-IBN, Haywood said that he voluntarily went for a polygraph test to clear his name. “It was either that or wait until whenever their investigation was over. I have a business to run and don’t know anything helpful to their investigation anyway.”

Asked if he was still a suspect, he had said: “I think they already have their suspects and are just documenting who knew what or that sort of a thing.”